The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play the rubber game of their 3-game set tonight at PNC Park. The Dodgers should be up 2-0 in this series but like all managers these days Dave Roberts pulled his starter Shohei Ohtani in the 6th then the bullpen gave up 5 runs and the Pirates went on to win 9-8. Tonight if Roberts lets his expected starter, southpaw Justin Wrobleski, go deep into the game, LA should come away with a win. Wrobleski has been in the zone. He is 7-2 with a 2.62 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.00. Wrobleski was stellar in his last turn against the Arizona Diamondbacks allowing zero runs over 6 innings but once again Roberts yanked him, the bullpen blew it, and the Dodgers lost 3-2. The Bucs are expected to send Mitch Keller to the hill. The Dodgers’ potent offense should be able to get to him. Keller is 5-3 but has an elevated 4.81 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and was lit up in his last turn against the Atlanta Braves, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits over 4.2 frames and the Braves won 6-3. The Pirates are just 1-9 in their last 10 games against a left-handed starter and the Dodgers are not in the habit of losing two in a row.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS